The meaning of Damage in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
dam'-aj (chabhala'): This word expresses any inflicted loss of value or permanent injury to persons or things. "Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?" (Ezra 4:22). In Proverbs 26:6 "damage" means "wrong," "injury" (Hebrew chamac). The translation of Esther 7:4 is doubtful: "Although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage" (the Revised Version, margin "For our affliction is not to be compared with the king's damage" the King James Version "could not countervail the king's damage") but Hebrew nezeq (Esther 7:4) and Aramaic naziq (Daniel 6:2) have the meaning of "molestation" or "annoyance" (see Ges.6 Buhl Dict. (15th edition) 489, 806, 908). We therefore ought to read 'for that oppression would not have been worthy of the molestation of the king' (Esther 7:4) and 'that the king should have no molestation' (Daniel 6:2). The Greek zemia, "loss" and zemioo, "to cause loss"; the Revised Version (British and American) therefore translates Acts 27:10 "will be with injury and much loss" (the King James Version "damage"), and II Corinthians 7:9 "that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing" (the King James Version "damage").
A. L. Breslich
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